Mugi's Recital (A K-ON! x Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso Crossover)
by spywi
Summary: Mugi and Arima Kousei enter a piano competition at the same time. Mugi has a special song in mind for her performance.


I recommend watching this if you haven't seen Your Lie in April or haven't listened to the full song:

watch?v=Ezvj-De6bxY

* * *

 _Set about a year after the end of Your Lie in April, Mugi enters a piano competition at the same time as Arima_ _Kousei._

* * *

"C'mon, guys, we're gonna be late!"

"Ritsu! Not so fast, we're right on time, so there's no need to rush!"

"Azu-nyan, did you bring money for snacks?"

"Senpai, please take your mind off your stomach and focus on cheering on Mugi-senpai."

"Aww, but looking at Mugi-chan reminds me of all the tasty treats, and that makes me even hungrier . . ." said Yui sadly, patting her tummy and staring at the stage area. There were bright lights in the concert hall, highlighting the floating dust specks around the lit-up stage area. The people entering the hall slowly made their way down the steps, filing in to the rows while graciously accepting the fliers that the ushers were handing out.

This was a big day for the Light Music Club's very own keyboardist and resident snack-provider. Mugi was set to perform for a big piano competition, one that featured lots of talented young musicians from all over Japan. The favorite to win was a black-haired young lad with tousled hair and jet-black glasses, wearing a blue suit and fidgeting nervously on the sidelines. A girl wearing a bright red dress was in the middle of fixing his tie while another boy with a head of spiky yellow hair was laughing beside them.

"Huh, who are those guys?" asked Yui.

"Those are the top three contenders for first place," said Azusa. According to the pamphlet in her hand, the boy in glasses was named Arima Kousei, a somewhat infamous pianist in the music circles. The blonde boy dressed in black was named Takeshi, and the girl in red who was now avoiding eye contact with Arima was Emi. Azusa was about to explain the story to the others when Yui started shoving snacks into Azusa's lap in an attempt to clear out her own lap for more.

"Senpai, please take this seriously, this is a serious competition."

"Aw, but they're taking so long, and I'm hungry, so I bought snacks."

"Shh, it's starting," hissed Mio, from Azusa's other side. Azusa blushed, and after smacking away Yui's hand as it tried to grab her own, she settled into her seat as the first contestant appeared on the stage.

* * *

The first set of pianists were nothing too outstanding. The technical skill that they displayed definitely showed that they belonged in this competition, but it wasn't enough to stand out for the audience. When it came to the boy Takeshi's turn, things got interesting. His skill greatly outshone the previous contenders, a talent worthy of him being the reigning champ of the region. Azusa, ever the lover of all things music-related, drunk in the outburst of energy that this young lad was pouring out through the keys. Fingers expertly trained through years of intensive dedication commanded the keys and drew the audience in, almost as if he were a conductor and not a musician. By the end of his song, Azusa found that she was on the edge of her seat, almost to the point of wanting more. The final notes resonated throughout the rows, and the audience immediately leapt to their feet with thunderous applause.

"Wow, that was seriously intense," said Mio.

"I like this guy. Think he'll go out with me?" asked Ritsu.

"He's a freshman in high school, dummy, and we're in college."

Azusa turned to them as the audience sat down.

"I think that he matches your energy, Ritsu-senpai, if not overshadows it."

Ritsu's face fell.

"So I'm still left in the shadows, huh . . ."

"I-I-I'm sorry, please forgive me, I didn't mean it!" panicked Azusa.

"Yeah, Ricchan, if you try hard, I'm sure you can get any guy!" chimed in Yui from Azusa's other side.

* * *

Leaving Mio to comfort the now depressed Ritsu, Azusa turned her attention back to the competition. A few performers later, a flash of red on the stage informed her that the next favorite of the competition was about to perform. The girl, Emi Igawa, had a bit of an interesting track record to her name, with an almost even split of wins and honorable mentions. As the rumor goes, her playing style changes with her mood, with the seasons, and even with something as small as whether the piano is too oily from fingerprints. _Well,_ Azusa thought, _this should turn out to be an interesting one._

Emi took her seat on the piano, and was very attentive to her surroundings. She took her time adjusting the height of the piano seat. She wiped down the keys with a handkerchief and fixed her hair. Finally, as if satisfied with the conditions of the room, she placed her hands on the keys. The first few notes rang out, perking everyone's interest and waking those who had fallen asleep at this point, namely Yui and Ritsu.

This girl's playing style was vastly different from Takeshi's. While Takeshi's style was grand and spotless, hers was errant, wild and with a sort of untamed quality. She played each note to perfection, but that didn't stop her from pouring her own soul into each and every part of this song. Almost like an amplifier for her soul, her feelings translated into the very song that echoed throughout the hall. While Takeshi could draw your attention with his power, Emi was able to draw your attention through passion.

Her performance left everyone speechless, which held for a few seconds and then gave way to even greater applause from the audience. The people in the row in front of Azusa and the others were gushing about how they were in tears, and that this year's competition was one of the greatest they've attended.

Once the noise had died down, the announcer cleared his throat and announced that Arima Kousei was up next. The hall seemed to stiffen at the name, and a low murmur filled the air. The rumors and reputation preceded the young man, as people seemed to have heard various things about him. Azusa's parents had told her the story up to when he was nearing the end of middle school, and they told her about . . . _her._

* * *

Azusa stared at the young man, and wondered about what she should think about him. A hand tugged on her sleeve, and Yui was staring at her, looking concerned.

"Azu-nyan, what's everyone talking about? What's wrong with him?"

Azusa smiled.

"Nothing's wrong with him, senpai. Remember that he's one of the top three favorites to win."

"Oh, I see . . ."

* * *

Kousei sat down to play. It had been a little while since he'd been in this intense of a competition. Everyone is so talented this year, and somehow he felt almost out-of-sorts amongst all these seasoned veterans. He stared at his reflection in the piano, wondering if he could still perform the way he did a year ago. A pang in his heart hit him hard for a second, to be replaced by an overwhelming sense of warmth. He smiled, and looked down at the keys of the piano. He begins to play, softly at first, and them building in strength, almost willing the warmth within him to flow into the notes. The sounds of the piano in the hall faded from only his ears, to be seamlessly replaced by the notes imagined within him. His heartfelt feelings shone through the song, and as he closed his eyes for a moment, he could almost imagine the scenery that he wanted to convey.

Azusa was in awe. Here was a musician that was so in tune with his piano, so synchronized with the notes that he is able to create imagery so realistic that she almost forgot that she was sitting in a music hall. She closed her eyes and willed the music to overtake her, and she saw a calming ocean, clear as day. She saw rolling waves, she saw glistening sand and smooth rocks, and . . . _a small figure in the distance, with flowing blonde hair._ Even though there is only a piano playing, Azusa could swear that she heard harmonies coming from what sounded like a lone violin. She couldn't stop herself from shedding tears, and when Kousei let the last few notes hang in the air, the audience was almost afraid to let the moment go, afraid to break the tension and applaud. Finally, Azusa stood up and started clapping. The spell was broken and the roar of the applause outshone both Takeshi's and Emi's applause.

* * *

Kousei stood and bowed, and turned to take his leave. He hoped that his feelings could reach every single person in this auditorium. He walked behind the curtain on the side, standing just out of sight of the audience. He took a shuddering breath, the adrenaline and nerves finally catching up to him.

"Good job," said a gentle voice. It was the last contestant, lined up to perform next. Kousei looked up just in time to see a flowing mane of bright golden hair, and a pure white dress. Kousei forgot to breathe, and immediately went over to the edge of the curtain to get a better look. The golden hair, pulled up into a familiar ponytail, bobbed behind the mysterious girl. He couldn't see her face, but . . . there was something about this girl that reminded her about . . . someone . . .

* * *

"Ah, it's Mugi-senpai!" exclaimed Azusa.

HTT's keyboardist finally took the stage, looking absolutely stunning in a pure white dress and her hair pulled into a simple ponytail. She looked out into the audience and quickly found the faces of her bandmates in the crowd. Smiling, she took her seat at the piano, and started adjusting her chair. The girls realized that they had never really heard Mugi play at her classical best, nor have they ever attended one of her concerts, so they were excited to see her in action for the first time.

Mugi continued to smile. She had prepared a special song just for this occasion, and had even requested that the song not be announced, nor was the name of the song printed in the pamphlets, something that Azusa picked up on. Behind the curtains, Kousei was still staring at her back, wondering if this was reality. Mugi finished her preparations and placed her fingers upon the keys.

* * *

Singular, _very_ familiar notes filled the air, causing the rest of HTT as well as Kousei to fall forward in surprise. The song was so sickeningly simple and familiar that it wasn't hard to imagine the words to the tune:

 _Twinkle, twinkle, little star . . ._

Yes, Mugi, as her chosen song for this serious competition, was playing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

Kousei was the most surprised out of anybody in the hall, as this song brought back too many memories. Memories of a blonde haired girl, singing this song while he played it. Memories of clumsily singing this song on a bicycle. Memories of _Kaori . . ._

Shaking his head, he braced himself, knowing what was coming next.

* * *

Azusa stared in amazement. Mugi-senpai, that talented and composed pianist, was playing a children's song in a regional piano competition. Yui was happily singing along, and Mio and Ritsu were just as dazed as her. Well, the short little song was coming to an end, so there wouldn't be more . . . right?

Mugi paused for a beat, having finished the little chorus of the song. She took a breath and then things kicked into overdrive. Her fingers started flying all over the keyboard, and the level of technical difficulty in the song rose so dramatically that it caught everyone except Kousei off guard. It was still the same song, there was no doubt about that, but it was on a whole other level from the first portion of the song.

* * *

Kousei found himself clutching at the hem of his jacket, because the level of playing was beyond even what he was capable in this song. There was a sense of childish wonder, a feeling of someone who so lovingly practiced this song to the point of being able to play it with their eyes closed. This mysterious person, whoever she was, brought such as sense of wonder to the song that he couldn't help but cry. The memories embedded within him surfaced, with glimpses of blonde hair and snatches of words from the song overtaking him, drawing him into the embrace of the song in ways that he couldn't.

* * *

In the audience, Azusa and the others were in awe. Azusa recognized the tune: it wasn't just Twinkle Twinkle, this was Mozart's twelve variations of the song. Each variation differed from each other, and the tone of the song changed with each transition. Sometimes the song would sound happy and lively, with lots of energy and fingers all over the keyboard. Sometimes the tone is somber, with ringing tones that hung in the air. Mugi truly brought out the best of the song, bringing out the child in her and translating it into this nursery rhyme. The song resonated so well with everyone that no one could look away.

The song resolved with gusto, building to a peak and then ending with a resounding note, leaving the audience imagining stars exploding and falling down from the sky. Mugi stood, raising an arm to thunderous applause. She bowed deeply, and straightened up, face shining. Clearly trying not to jump up and down in excitement, she walked off to exit the stage. At the curtain, she stopped and passed by Kousei, who was still standing there in a daze. Mugi smiled at him, almost knowingly. She offered a hand.

"Hello. Kotobuki Tsumugi. Nice to meet you."

"Arima Kousei. N-Nice job," stuttered Kousei. "That song . . ."

"One of my favorites. I can't stop singing it. Well, good luck to you."

Mugi went off to the contestants' meeting room, where she was sure that the other girls were waiting to congratulate her. Kousei watched her walk off, noting her shaking knees, whether from nerves or excitement, he didn't know. When her golden hair vanished around the corner, he finally jerked back to reality. He smiled at the ceiling, wondering if a certain someone was trying to get through to him from somewhere beyond the stars. He walked off to where others were gathering for the final score, humming the nursery rhyme as he went.

* * *

Mugi was bombarded with flowers from the others, so much to the point that she couldn't hold them all in her arms. Yui was praising her endlessly, Mio was on the point of tears because she was so happy that it went well. Ritsu was hugging her from behind, and then suddenly let go when Takeshi passed by the open door with Emi and Kousei in tow. Kousei and Mugi locked eyes for a second before he disappeared beyond the hall, a smile ghosting both of their lips.

"Ooh, Mugi, is that blush that I see on your face?" said Ritsu, knowingly. Mio whacked her on the head, then said,

"Oh yeah, and who was the one that was staring at that Takeshi guy for a while?"

"Um, uh, well . . ."

"Mugi-senpai, congratulations, that was wonderful. Unexpected, but wonderful!" exclaimed Azusa, giddy from watching Mugi's performance.

Smiling at all of them, Mugi couldn't find the words to express how she truly felt. After a moment, she finally laughed and pulled them into hug, exclaiming,

"Thank you, so much. This was the most fun I've had in a long time."

* * *

Despite Mugi not placing the top three spots (Kousei claimed first, Takeshi second, and Emi third), she received Honorable Mention and Fan Favorite, which according to Ritsu means that she "won the whole competition by winning the most awards". Azusa became all the more determined to learn music theory from Mugi, and Mio was more interested in learning to channel her feelings into her songs the way Mugi could. Mugi didn't even stay for the awards announcement because she said that,

"It's not the awards that matter to me. I have lots of awards, but the best reward is having you all there to support me. It's the best thing that I could have asked for."


End file.
